


No Love, Actually

by mrsreeder



Category: The Thick of It (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, i'm not sure whether writing this was actually a dumb idea lol, spoiler: no it's not a love story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27935441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrsreeder/pseuds/mrsreeder
Summary: Nicola Murray was running along the corridor of the building, checking the names on the door plates and swearing under her breath as she went on. "Damn it, damn it, damn everything! Where is his fucking flat? 'Carter'..., wrong, 'Williams'..., no..., 'Reeder'..., oh, that's the right one!" And so she pushed the bell button next to the door.And that's the beginning of a really romantic love story between a politician and her adviser...or is it?
Relationships: Nicola Murray & Ollie Reeder
Comments: 10
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I swear this is supposed to be a comedy story and not a romance, even though some scenes are kinda sappy, lol. I have no idea where I'm actually going with this story, but I wanted to write something else for a change. Hopefully the next chapters will be more hilarious, haha.

It was 10 o'clock on a Friday night.  
Ollie had just settled down on the sofa, ready to enjoy a relaxed evening watching some Star Wars movies. However, just when he wanted to hit the 'play' button on the remote he was interrupted by the shrill noise of the doorbell. "For fucks sake, this better not be some prank from some drunk wanker...", he mumbled to himself when he went to check the door. But looking through the door viewer he was in for a surprise. No, it really wasn't some wanker - but instead there was his boss in front of his flat door. And Nicola was apparently still fervently pressing the button because the bell was still shrilling, which was a really annoying noise. Ollie was dumbfounded for a moment. What could she want at this time? Should he even open the door? But as Nicola started banging on the door just in this moment he decided it would be better to just let her in before the neighbors would notice the ruckus. And so he turned the key and quickly opened the door. "Nicola, what are you....ooof!" Just as the door opened Nicola pushed in and stumbled right into Ollie who was standing behind it, which made her land right into his arms. "Damn it! Hurry up, close the door!" Ollie did as she said, but just as he slammed it shut he was aware of a blurred face in the corridor and the bright light of a camera flash. "Shit, shit, shit! Did he get a picture? Ollie, did the guy with the camera take a photo? Please say he didn't!"  
"Well, his camera flash went off, so probably yes?"  
"Oh, that's just great! Do you know how that will look in the papers tomorrow? Not only my marriage is ruined, this will probably cost me my job too! And you might lose yours too!"  
Ollie put his hands on Nicola's shoulders and pushed her away a bit so he could look into her pretty panicky face. "Okay, okay, please just calm down! Just tell me what the fuck just happened! What are you doing here? And why are these guys following you?"  
"It's just...my husband, we got into a fight and...I had to leave the house, I couldn't stay there...and then these reporters spotted me...oh, I just don't know what to do..."  
Ollie honestly didn't know what to do in this situation either. Having your boss standing in front of your door with a pack of reporters right on her heels wasn't something that happened every day, after all. But even he could be a gentleman when he put some thought to it - well, sort of - and so he navigated Nicola into his living room and made her sit down onto the sofa. "Do you, uh, want some tea? Or something else...? Some biscuits?"  
"I could actually use something stronger than tea...but yes, I'll still take a cup to help me calm down. Thanks, Ollie."  
After ten minutes he came back from the kitchen and placed a steaming cup on the table before her, then he sat down next to her. Nicola took a sip and leaned back with a sigh, cradling the cup in her hands. "I guess it would be fair to tell you the entire story...I kind of pulled you into this after all."  
"Yeah, you're right."  
"Well, where should I start? Probably just at the beginning, huh..." She made a nervous little laugh. It was really weird to see Ollie in a different environment than the office. First, he obviously wasn't wearing his usual suit and tie but comfier home clothes, which already made quite a difference. And while he was clearly the usual selfish guy she knew (she had seen that he had looked at the pile of DVDs on the table with some regret, so he actually was kind of miffed at not being able to do what he planned for the evening), she also had to admit that he had been pretty considerate since her arrival. And well, she had crashed into his flat late in the evening after all, so his annoyance wasn't entirely unfounded.  
After another big sigh she began telling her story. "Well, it's just...my husband and me started arguing over some trivial thing. The children are at their grandparents this week, and so I thought we could finally talk some things out. We never find the time for that...anyway, I don't even know what had started it, but one word followed another and suddenly we were shouting at each other. I had to get away, I just couldn't stand being in the same house like him anymore."  
She paused to take another sip of tea. "So I went outside, but I actually had no idea where to go. And then I saw that there were still some of those persistent reporters near our house. They've been there ever since that communication fuck-up last week when I announced the new school meal policy and the education department was really pissed about it...they try to get some comment from me about whether there's a division in government because of this policy thing and it really started to get annoying...."  
"Yeah, they really are persistant this time. I wonder why Malcolm didn't threaten them yet so they would go away. They still lurk about your house?"  
"Yes, that is one of the reasons why we sent the children away for the school holidays, I don't want these leeches to latch onto them too. But anyway, to get back to the point: they saw me leaving the house at this time of the day and they probably noticed that I looked pretty agitated, so they descended upon me like vultures. I ran to the next bigger street where I managed to get into a cab before they caught up to me. But I guess I looked so suspicious that they even followed the cab...damn the fuckers, really."  
"I get all that, but why did you come here of all places?"  
"I'm so sorry, Ollie. I was really shaken up when I noticed these vultures were still following me and your address just was the first one that came to mind. I went through the employee's files just earlier today and I just saw where you're living in your file. So I just told the cab driver to bring me here. That's really all there is to that."  
"Oh well, the cabbie could have done a better job shaking them off. He could have gone through some narrow side roads and throw them off his tracks..."  
"We're not in a fucking James Bond film, Ollie! I told you I'm sorry and I told him to try and shake them off, but to no avail."  
"Sorry, but let me be frank, Nicola: that was pretty stupid."  
"Ollie, you cold-blooded twat! Can't you see I'm still totally shaken up by all this? And I apologized to you, so could you just keep your oh-so-clever remarks to yourself? At least for today?"  
To his horror he saw that there were actually tears in Nicola's eyes, so he decided to back down. "Oh...I'm sorry too, shouldn't have said that. But...as you said yourself, this might actually be really bad for your career. Or our careers, that is."  
Nicola searched for a handkerchief in her bag and dabbed at her eyes when she found one. "I know...I know all that, but I just didn't know what to do...and it's really telling that your first concern is your own fucking career."  
Ollie raised his hands in protest. "Hey, now you're being unfair! If I recall correctly that was one of the fucking first things you were concerned about too!"  
"Well, I went into politics to do some good and I would hate it if I couldn't do that anymore just because of some fucking dumb misunderstanding! You on the other hand...I'm not so sure about your intentions."  
"Okay, fine, whatever, let's look at this rationally. You have to admit, the whole turn of events looks quite bad: you leave your house late in the evening in an apparently really upset state, you run away when the journalists approach you, then you are taking a cab to an adress where an attractive young man opens the door and you jump right into his arms. Knowing the media, it should not be hard to guess what kind of story they will make of all this."  
"First, I didn't jump into your arms, I stumbled through your door and then into you! And second, did you just refer to yourself as an 'attractive young man'?"  
Ollie coughed. "Well, some women would agree with me." 1)  
Nicola sighed. "I should have gone to Glenn's home then, huh? Is that what you are saying? I wish I would have never looked at your file, or else I wouldn't have gotten the dumb fucking idea to ask you of all people for help in a emergency. Oh, and of course I got to know your middle name, let's not forget about that!"  
"Well, that way I would have stayed out of this mess, but if you would have thrown yourself into Glenn's arms it wouldn't look that good either..."  
"Just stop this shit about me jumping into someone's arms already, Ollie! I stumbled, okay? You seem quite obsessed with that idea, like you think I'm in love with you! Which I am most definitely not, you get it? As far as I am concerned, you are like some...giggling lanky teenager, not a man I could fall in love with!"  
Ollie looked quite indignant, but Nicola wasn't sure if he really meant it or if he was just making fun of her. "You couldn't have said that without hurting my pride as a man, could you? Ah, I can't take this rejection...my boss doesn't love me!" So he was just joshing around after all, she realized.  
"You just can't bring yourself to take this seriously, huh?"  
"I know it is serious, don't worry! But, as I might remind you, when I told you how it might impact our careers you didn't like that either."  
"All right, sorry. It's just...I still don't know what to do. But I had enough fighting for today, so could we please stop arguing for now? Think about how difficult this is for both of us..."  
He conceded. "Fine, I guess you are right."  
"Yes, I am. And I could really use something alcoholic now..."  
"Me too, but we can't really go out and buy something, can we...." Ollie ran his fingers through his hair, then he seemed to have an idea. "Oh, I just remembered, there is this bottle of whisky in my cupboard. Malcolm gave it to me once for my birthday. I remember how he told me I should keep the bottle until I would be finally old enough to drink real stuff....oh, so fucking funny."  
"That would be great, is it alright if we open up that bottle?"  
When he got up from the sofa a thought came to him.  
"Yeah, it is. I'll go and look for it, just wait a moment."  
Ollie went to his kitchen and closed the door behind him, not before peeking through the crack to check whether Nicola was still sitting on the sofa though. With a sigh he leaned against the kitchen counter. "Now that's a really fucking awful mess she got me into...," he sighed. After a moment of consideration he pulled his phone out and called Malcolm. While he waited for him to pick up the call he rummaged around the cupboards to find the promised bottle of whisky. Then finally the phone stopped beeping and Malcolm's voice could be heard.  
"Ollie, you little shit, why are you calling me on a Friday night? I just had so much fun beating up some fucking opposition workers together with Jamie!"  
"A fucking good evening to you too, Malcolm! Listen, I didn't call you for fun, I have a real big problem..."  
"What, did they throw you into juvenile prison for underage drinking and now you need an adult to bail you out? Can't you just ask your mum?"  
"No! Well, I kind of wish...it's actually much worse. Okay, well...long story short: Nicola is here, at my flat. Some reporters chased her here and one of them took a photo of us which might suggest that we are having an...uh, love affair."  
There was an eerie silence at the other end of the line for a while and Ollie started to think that Malcolm had already hung up.  
"Malcolm? Are you still there?"  
"I am, but you know what? I would rather be over at your place and rip both of your fucking heads off! What exactly are you doing, you fucking stupid imbeciles?"  
"Well, don't shout at me, this is Nicola's fault! Just tell me...I honestly have no idea what to do. So tell me, what the fuck should we be doing now?"  
Malcolm sighed. "I guess I'll have to spare you for now, twatweazel. But you should be very afraid of coming into work on Monday...! Okay, just...stay inside for now. Don't try anything stupid like leaving the house and running away, as this will make you just look more suspicious. Think you can do this, Romeo Reeder?"  
"Yes, fine, thanks. But what if..."  
"No, no, no, I won't say any more. You got into this mess by yourself, you deal with it yourself. Give my worst regards to Juliet Murray, too. Bye."  
With that, he finally hung up for real. "Well, thank you very much for not being of any bloody use, Malc...and it wasn't me who made this mess anyway." Ollie put his phone away. While he was talking to Malcolm he had finally found the bottle and carried it over to the living room together with two whisky tumblers. Nicola had turned the TV on and was zapping through the programmes.  
"I hope you don't mind...? Now that took you a while, didn't it?"  
"Well yeah...it was hidden in the back of a cupboard, I had to look for it..." Ollie mumbled and proceeded to open the bottle. He poured some of the brownish liquid into the two glasses.  
"Cheers!"  
They both gulped down their first glass of the drink. "Phew, that's actually good stuff."  
"Yeah, it is. I thought Malcolm would gift me some really disgustingly bad stuff for fun, but I'm surprised to see he didn't."  
Nicola filled their glasses again. "Uh, Ollie? There's a little problem...what if I can't leave your flat tonight? The reporters are probably still there."  
"You bet they are. Well, if I drink enough of the whisky I might get drunk enough to allow you to stay the night, you know," he said with a little crooked smile.  
"Oh, that would be awfully nice of you, really!"  
"Well, it's not like we got a choice. I can't let you go out there and tell them all the juicy gossip about our hot little fling!"  
"Oh, you!" She giggled and playfully hit his arm. "I think I can already feel the effects of the whisky because I start to think you're funny."  
"Well, you might just add my flawless sense of humour to my good looks and my other strenghts, then." He grinned.  
After that exchange they sat a while next to each other in silence while they proceeded to empty the bottle of whisky. Nicola had continued to zap through the TV programmes at some point, but after a while she got really tired and stopped. She must even have fallen asleep for a brief moment, since suddenly she tilted to the side. When she opened her eyes again she found herself leaned against Ollie, with her head resting on his shoulder. They looked at each other in horror for a brief moment, then she sat up again quickly and started talking like nothing had happened. "I'm really tired, so I would actually like to go to sleep now. I don't want to shoo you away, but is it okay if I take the sofa for the night?"  
Ollie thought for a moment.  
"I think it would be best if you take the bedroom...I'll just sleep on the sofa."  
"Oh, quite the gentleman, are you? I might have underestimated you!"  
"No, it's not like that...ah, just leave it. There, uh, are probably some clothes from my ex-girlfriend in the drawer in the bedroom, if you need something. And you're lucky, I just changed the bedsheets today."  
"Great, thank you. I'm off, then." She rose from the sofa, feeling a bit tipsy. Yes, she definitely needed some sleep right now. "Well then....good night, Ollie."  
"Yeah, right. See you in the morning."  
He leaned back on the sofa and emptied his glass. The bottle was also empty and after all this he wasn't in the mood to watch a film anymore. 'Guess I'll just go to sleep too, then. Even though that's a fucking shame, I could have finished watching the original trilogy tonight...'  
Later into the night Ollie had finally settled down on the sofa, but he found it hard to get to sleep. He sighed. "I'm really a big fucking idiot for telling her to take the bedroom...that sofa is somewhat uncomfortable. Must be due to the whisky. Well, can't do anything about that now and it might be useful to make her owe me one..."  
After a while he finally dropped off, just like Nicola in the bedroom had a while before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Yes, they really would. The author for example. (Sorry, I couldn't help myself 8D)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, this story is still a total mess and I can't seem to get it back on the planned comedy track. xD Well, have another chapter of classical rom-com shenanigans between Nicola and Ollie instead :D The scenes when they are arguing turned out to be really cheesy yet again. I blame the spirit of Christmas, I got kinda sentimental there, lol. But to be honest, I actually do think that Ollie isn't an entirely horrible person anyway, so it actually fits... Maybe that's just my personal bias speaking, but oh well.

When Nicola woke up because light was filtering through the curtains she wondered why she was in an entirely unfamiliar bedroom. Then she remembered what happened the night before and that this was the bedroom at Ollie's flat. She let her thoughts wander, not yet wanting to get up for real. The events - and the alcohol - had taken their toll and she still felt really tired. But after a while she pulled herself together, forced her eyes open and turned around under the sheets....just to see that the other half of the bed wasn't empty, as she had expected. She had to stifle a scream of surprise: Ollie was lying there, still fast asleep. "Damn it, this whole situation is getting worse and worse!", she mumbled to herself. Well, they had emptied a bottle of whisky together, so it wasn't that surprising to see Ollie still being asleep like a log. But why was he even here? He was supposed to sleep on the sofa in the living room! "I guess I have to wake him up...I sure hope he isn't in the habit of sleeping naked..." she whispered, but couldn't quite bring herself to actually do it. She thought of checking under the sheets for a moment, but quickly disregarded the thought. However, she couldn't help but notice that Ollie actually looked pretty cute when he was asleep. 'Despite what I said to him yesterday, he really is quite attractive, isn't he? If only he had a more decent character... But really, thinking of having an affair with him wouldn't be that far-fetched... Wait, what am I even thinking?' She shook her head. 'Yesterday was such a mess and so am I...'  
All the pondering didn't solve the problem on hand, though.  
'Maybe I should just get up and leave the room quietly? I guess this would be the more sensible choice...' But as she attempted to do just that Ollie suddenly started moving. He yawned, raised his head and blinked at her with still sleepy eyes.  
"I...what? Who...?"  
"Uh...Ollie? I'm sorry, but...this is your bedroom, where I was supposed to sleep and..."  
She couldn't finish her sentence because Ollie jolted upright with a yelp. "Oh fuck! I-I'm sorry! I think I woke up at some point of the night and then I went right into my bedroom after coming from the bathroom. Force of habit, you know...sorry! This is my flat after all..." He fumbled around on the bedside table for a while to find his glasses before he remembered that he probably left them on the table next to the sofa in the living room. It was kinda funny to see him this flustered, Nicola thought.  
"Well, it's fine...okay, this is kinda awkward, but...hey, looking at the bright side of things, at least the reporters couldn't see us in here together. That would have been really...unfortunate." She made an embarrassed laugh.  
Ollie gave her an awkward look in return. "Ha...ha, yeah, right..." He struggled out from under the sheets, got up quickly and walked to the door. Nicola registered with relief that he actually had some clothes on...things were weird enough already. But there was one thing she couldn't help noticing...  
"Ollie?"  
He stopped and turned around to her. "Yeah...what?"  
"Your bedhead looks quite cute!"  
She wondered if she did really say that, and why. It was the remnants of the alcohol, she told herself. She also wondered if she really saw Ollie blush a little when he stormed out of the room. And of course he almost hit his head on the doorframe while doing so.  
"Fuck, just where are my glasses..."

Nicola got up a few minutes after Ollie left the room. He had rummaged around the living room and entered the bathroom afterwards. So she went into the kitchen first to get a glass of water. She sat down at the kitchen table and wondered what she should do now until she heard the bathroom door open. Ollie entered the kitchen. He had taken special care with fixing his hair, she noticed with some amusement. "You should go for a more natural look, Ollie...that bedhead was really nice. I could imagine many women would like that look."  
"Oh really? Thanks, mum! Could we just stop talking about my fucking hair though, I don't want to be late for school!"  
She snorted. "Ollie, you're the type to always make fun of others, so you need to expect being on the recieving end in some cases too."  
He decided to more or less ignore the remark.  
"Well...uh...I'll go and get the post. You can use the bathroom, if you need to."

When Ollie came back from fetching the post, Nicola had emerged from the bathroom and was just putting her coat on.  
"Well Ollie, thank you for everything and let me say sorry yet again. I'll leave you alone now. I can't hide in your flat forever."  
Ollie dropped his keys, some letters and a newspaper on the table.  
"I wouldn't go out there if I were you, honestly. I just went downstairs to the post box and I saw the fuckers are still lurking out there. One of them saw me too and I had to make a run for it..."  
"They are still at it?! I can't fucking believe this! What should I do now?"  
"And I can't believe I'm even making this suggestion, but...it would be probably for the best if you just stayed here for now. That's what Malcolm said, too."  
"Malcolm? What's he got to do with all that?"  
"Well, I...I actually called him yesterday and asked him for help because I didn't know what I should do with you."  
"Please tell me you didn't! Malcolm, of all people! Can't you do anything before asking him for permission?"  
"Oh, for fucks sake.... If it makes you happy, he didn't really want to help me anyway. Instead he only threw his usual insults at me and just told me we should stay inside for now."  
"Now that's a really fucking great suggestion, we gotta applaud Malcolm for that! And of course you couldn't have worked this out on your own, huh? No, of course you couldn't!"  
"Well, honestly, I don't get paid to advise you about events in your private life!"  
"This isn't about my private life anymore, though! And it probably never was, because I don't even know anymore what that is! It seems like journalists, and everyone else for that matter, thinks that the lives of politicians are public property and free to tear apart at their will! At moments like this I honestly hate my job! And most of all I hate having to deal with so called advisors who can't do their job properly... Besides that, would it kill you to show some compassion and help me as a fellow human, instead of my subordinate? But I guess it would, since all you think of most of the time is yourself! Well, thanks for nothing and just fuck off, then!"  
Ollie had listened to her outburst in silence. Nicola was right about him in a sense, that much he had to admit. He really did usually think of himself and how he could benefit from events first and foremost, and he wasn't too happy about having to go through this whole ordeal just because of someone who was mostly just another person he knew from work. Nicola wasn't the first politician he was working for and she wouldn't be the last, that much he knew. But still...he didn't know if it was because of the events that happened since yesterday evening or due to the fact that he was actually a better human than he himself and anyone else gave him credit for....or even if it was because he was still slightly drunk. (Which was probably the explanation he preferred, since it entailed the least complications.) Well, really, whatever explanation was right, he just....  
"Nicola..."  
After her speech Nicola had stared at Ollie for quite a few moments with a mix of anger, tearfulness and worry showing on her face...now she turned around, opened the door and attempted to leave.  
"You know what? I've had it! I'm gonna go out there, I won't care whatever they will write about me, and then I'm gonna hand in my resignation. It's not like anyone will give only a single fuck. My closest work colleagues most definitely won't!"  
"No, don't go!"  
He grabbed her from behind to keep her from going through the door, which caught her totally by surprise. And so the inevitable happened: she landed in his arms yet again. Well, at least he had the presence of mind to grab her to keep her from just falling on her back. But that just made it look like he was hugging her from behind, really.  
"Seriously...Ollie, what the fuck are you doing?"  
She slightly turned her head around and looked into his face, but she couldn't really read his expression.  
"I...I don't know, but..."  
"Oh god..." The whole situation was just weird. It could possible ruin her marriage, her career, really everything. And while the reporters got the wrong idea about their so-called affair, she was lying in Ollie's arms for the second time in less than 24 hours. When she realized all that, Nicola couldn't help but break out in hysterical laughter.  
"Nicola? What's up with you...?" Ollie looked genuinely dumbfounded and a bit hurt now, which only made her laugh more.  
"Ollie, please don't make a face like an abandoned puppy...I can't stop laughing! ... I'm so sorry, but...it's just...all of this is so hilarious!"  
"Huh....it is?"  
"Yes! Just look at us right now! And before...well, we are already arguing like an old couple, so we're off to a great start!"  
Ollie, who was still clinging to Nicola suddenly realized what he was doing and let her go.  
"Well, umm....I see what you mean, but...just let me ask you something: were you serious about what you just said?"  
She jabbed her finger into his chest. "Yes, Mr Reeder, I was absolutely serious when I said that you only think about yourself! But," and here she gave him a little smile, "as for the rest, I guess there are better advisors than you, but there are also worse ones. Satisfied?"  
"Of course there are, you know what it's like to work with Glenn, after all." He grinned, having regained most of his composure already. "But I was actually talking about the resigning part...so...?"  
She sighed. "Oh, I don't actually want to resign, you know. But this is really serious, after all. I need to know whether I can trust you on this matter. Can I trust you, Ollie?"  
"You can, Nicola. After all, I'm in this too and a non-existing affair would be a really stupid reason to resign. So, well, I'll do my best to get us out of this mess. But since I'm not the best advisor there is, we might need the help of Malcolm - or someone else - too. Okay?" He smiled sheepishly.  
"That's fine. Thank you. Well, that means I have to impose on you just a bit longer." And so she took off her coat again.  
"Oh...Ollie? What did you really mean when you yelled 'don't go'? Did you want me to stay in your flat...or in office?"  
"Both...really."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing ever happens in this story, but it's still so much (purely self-indulgent) fun to write, lol. There are some more chapters of Ollie and Nicola at home still to come, by the way :D

Some time had passed since their dispute and things had calmed down a bit. The both of them were sitting on the kitchen table, putting their heads together about what to do next.  
"Getting back to the more practical problems, we need to lay low for now." Ollie pointed out.  
Nicola nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I'm glad this is only temporary though...I'm sure they'll have forgotten about this so-called affair on Monday, there are more important things after all! This is messing with my nerves..."  
"Okay, right. Well...if we want to - or rather, have to - spend the entire weekend cooped up in here, we will need some food, besides other things. My fridge is almost empty. I didn't expect to have a guest...I actually thought of going to a restaurant or something later on. And it's already noon, so I'm starting to get hungry..." Ollie took a look at the meagre amount of foods left in his fridge and cupboards. "There's some rice and noodles, but that wouldn't make an exciting meal, huh..."  
Nicola tapped with her fingers on the table, lost in thoughts. "Hmm...I guess we need to call someone so they could get us the things we need. But who?"  
"Uh, well...I expect Malcolm isn't too keen on making a food delivery, so he's out. I'm also not in the mood for Glenn to make fun of me, so...should we try Terri?"  
"That would actually be for the best, I think...I could also ask her to get some personal things from my house and bring them with her."  
"Could you call her, then? But first we should think of a list of stuff we want her to buy."  
Nicola grabbed pen and paper lying around on the table. "Alright, so what would you like me to put on the list?"

After half an hour they had thought of everything necessary for a kind of comfortable weekend. Well, as comfortable as possible, given the circumstances. Their plans were about to be thwarted, though.  
Even after listening to the whole explanation about the mess they were in Terri wasn't too happy about Nicola's request. "I'm sorry, I can't do that. It's Saturday and I'm off on weekends, as you probably know."  
"Come on, Terri! We're not talking to each other as a secretary of state and a civil servant here, but just as two human beings!"  
"Well, even as a human being I'm off today."  
Nicola almost despaired. Terri could be really obstinate, but whom else could they ask to make the shopping trip?  
"Look, we really, really need your help! There is no one else we could ask. And you know, if you'll help us now we will owe you one. Really, please?"  
Terri seemed to consider this fact for a moment and finally gave in.  
"Okay, I'll do it. What do you need?"  
Nicola read out their shopping list, gave Terri some more instructions and ended the call afterwards.  
"So, now that's that. She'll fetch some things from my house - I'm glad for once that James always leaves a spare key hidden under a flower-pot! - and then she will drive to the store right afterwards."  
Ollie didn't look too happy. "I don't really want to owe Terri anything."  
"Please don't fucking complain now, it was hard enough to get her to agree..."  
"Fine, fine...I guess we just gotta wait for her to get here, then."

It was kind of awkward, sitting around in the kitchen and having to wait for Terri to finally arrive with the groceries. Ollie was doing something on his phone, but Nicola had nothing to keep her busy. After gathering her resolve for a while she asked: "Ollie? Is there anything I could do for you? I mean, I'm still really thankful for your help, so I would like to help out in some way."  
He raised his head and gave her a questioning look. "What kind of things are we talking about here?"  
"I don't know, stuff around the house like doing the dishes...or some laundry?"  
He made a gesture of refusal. "Oh no, that's alright. I usually bring my suits to the dry cleaner and I honestly don't want anyone to rummage around my underwear."  
"Damn it, Ollie, it's not like I care about your underwear...I just wanted to do you a favour. But what about your girlfriends?"  
"Well, they were probably rather more interested about what's under the underwear, if I dare say so. But they weren't the housewifey types, so I always had to do my laundry myself."  
"Wow, you're turning out to be decent husband material, I'm honestly surprised."  
"I'm just that great, you know."  
"I honestly can't decide on whether that was a serious comment or if you were just joking."

After almost two hours the doorbell rang and Ollie went to answer it. Terri was standing outside and pushed a huge bag of groceries onto him once he had opened the door. "Here's the first batch. Don't expect me to carry up the entire stuff though, you gotta accompany me down to the car and get the rest yourself!"  
"Hello to you too, Terri! Today's a bloody great day, isn't it? And you might have heard about us not being able to go outside...which is the entire reason for you having to get us some stuff. You remember that?"  
"Oh come on, I didn't see a single reporter outside and I parked my car really close to the entrance. I really want to be done with this, so stop complaining."  
"Oh, alright... Nicola, I'll just fetch the stuff from Terri's car, I'll be back in a moment!" he informed her before leaving the flat with Terri.  
There really didn't seem to be any reporters outside. Ollie picked up the rest of the shopping bags - he could barely carry them all...did they really order so much stuff? - said goodbye and thanks to Terri (at least she had agreed to receive the money for the groceries at work on Monday, as he had no cash at home) and was about to make his way back to the building...when suddenly a man emerged from one of the cars in the parking lot. The man shouted something and pointed at him, and that was apparently the signal for the other reporters to suddenly reappear yet again. He also heard the clicking of cameras. "Oh, wonderful, I just knew the fuckers weren't really gone. Thanks, Terri...," he mumbled to himself. And then he actually had to sprint back to the building, into the lift and down the hallway to his flat, carrying all the bags and with some of the reporters right on his heels yet again. He was glad to see that Nicola had had the presence of mind to already open up the door, so he just stormed into the flat when the first guy with a camera appeared on the top of the stairs at the other end of the hallway. When he was finally safely inside he put down the bags and sighed. "Fuck it, these assholes are persistant. I barely made it...," he complained when he finally got his breath back after a few moments. "I won't leave the flat again until Monday, that's sure as hell..."  
"Did they get more pictures?" Nicola asked, worried.  
"Yeah, I guess so. And I look like an idiot in them, loaded with millions of bags and running away from a pack of twats with cameras. Speaking of the twats, they're are probably thinking of a nice caption by now."  
Nicola attempted to alleviate the situation with a joke. "Maybe they are wondering whether you'll prepare a romantic dinner for your lover....hey, don't look at me like that, I obviously wasn't serious!"  
Ollie had shot her an angry look, but then he laughed. "Please mind the fact that I'm in charge of the jokes here!"  
"Fine! And you're also in charge of bringing the groceries to the kitchen."  
"Alright..."  
After carrying the bags to their destination, they put the contents into the kitchen cupboards and the fridge. "Now that's better than the look of empty shelves from before!"  
Ollie sat down at the kitchen table again and looked questioningly at Nicola.  
"What will we actually do now? Prepare lunch?"  
"Well, it's a bit late, lunchtime was ages ago... But how about cooking something nice which we could eat for a late lunch and dinner combined?"  
"Good idea, let's do just that. Any recipe ideas?"

Some time later they had to open almost every window in the flat because plumes of smoke were coming from the oven.  
"Fuck, I didn't even know that it was possible to mess up a shepherd's pie!" Nicola said while waving a newspaper around to blow away some of the smoke.  
Ollie at the same time had put on the oven gloves and pulled the baking dish with its pretty burned contents out of the oven. "I guess we're truly exceptional cooks then..."  
"Oh well, if we were gonna burn the food anyway we wouldn't need Terri to bring us any..."  
Ollie put down the burned pie on the table and sighed. "It's not like I did this on purpose, okay? But for the rest of today I will definitely not touch anything in this kitchen anymore!"  
"There is still another option, and that's to order a pizza. Let's do that once the smoke has cleared."  
"Should've just done that in the first place...."


	4. Chapter 4

Well, after some more waiting they finally got to eat a decent meal for the first time on that eventful day. Neither of them did really mind that it was just a pizza instead of a nice home-cooked meal. When they had finished eating (and cleaning up the mess from their failed cooking attempt from before) it was already 8 pm.  
Nicola flopped down on the sofa and sighed. "Well, now the day is almost over, but how will we spend the evening? Any ideas?"  
He looked wistfully at the DVDs still piled up on the table. "I wouldn't have that problem if I were alone at home.... I assume you don't want to watch Star Wars?"  
"No, that's not really my kind of film. Do you have any other DVDs?"  
"On that shelf over there, but..."  
Nicola got up and looked at Ollie's film collection. Well, if he owned any naughty movies he hid them somewhere else...the entire shelf was basically filled with nerdy stuff. Star Wars, Doctor Who, all kinds of superheroes...you name it.  
"Ollie...you're always complaining about how Phil is such a nerd, but that's kind of the pot calling the kettle black, isn't it...?"  
"No! He is always annoying everyone with his fucking Lord of the Rings references - did you ever hear me doing that?"  
"Admittedly not, but there are boxsets of Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit trilogy on the bottom shelf..."  
He looked at her like she just caught him with his hands in the cookie jar.  
"I, um...got them as a gift?"  
"Let me guess: you never watched them?"  
"O-of course not..."  
"Fine, alright, I won't press on the matter if you would rather keep being a closet nerd..."  
"I'm not a fucking nerd! And I never were one either! Not in my school days and not now!"  
He totally was a nerd, Nicola thought. But alright, for some reason he didn't want to talk about that. Probably his never-ending manliness contest with Phil...when both of them were actually not really that mature. Or it was just a touchy subject for him. Well, be that as it may.  
"Let's just check what's on the telly, alright?"  
"Yeah..."  
Nicola took the remote control and zapped though the programs. "Hmm, well...there's EastEnders, but I don't usually watch that and I guess neither do you."  
He just shook his head.  
"Or there's the news, but I would rather not watch anything with a high probability of my face appearing on the screen..."  
Ollie in the meantime had gotten up to fetch the newspaper and checked the TV listings section. "Looks like this'll be a hard contest between 'The Great British Bake Off' and 'Strictly Come Dancing'..." He frowned because he had just remembered there was a Doctor Who marathon on tonight and he had wanted to watch that. Which obviously wasn't possible now. Drat. He liked the episodes with the Twelfth Doctor, because that incarnation of the Doctor always reminded him of someone he knew, but he had no idea who that was.  
Nicola had of course no idea about his internal struggle. "Oh, can we watch Strictly then? I don't always find the time to watch every episode, but it's really entertaining!"  
"Sure, why not...I'd for one rather not watch anything where someone is baking stuff in an oven right now."  
"Oh yeah, you're right..."  
She changed the channel and the beginning of the show was just appearing on the screen.

Despite anything it turned out to be a surprisingly delightful evening for the both of them. Nicola enjoyed not having to deal with the usual endless discussions with her husband and Ollie had resigned to the fact that he would have to watch the Star Wars movies and Doctor Who episodes on the next weekend. And while he wouldn't really admit it, it was actually even sort of fun to watch the dancing show together with someone instead of sitting in front of the TV on his own. Even if the other person was his boss and the circumstances which brought about their shared weekend couldn't really be any weirder.

Later in the evening - the show was long over and the both of them had zapped through the channels for a while until they got bored of it. Ollie had started leafing through the newspaper at some point and Nicola watched the last part of a rerun of some classic black-and-white film. But now the credits were rolling and the time was nearing midnight too.  
Nicola stifled a yawn. "Time for bed, I guess."  
Ollie put the newspaper down and folded it neatly. "Yeah...or rather sofa time for me, haha..."  
"I actually wanted to talk to you about that...I really don't want to kick you out of your bedroom the entire weekend, so I wanted to suggest that I'm taking the sofa tonight."  
Ollie was really tempted to just go with her suggestion, but something was holding him back. Who would've known that he could be so considerate? Even he himself would have probably never guessed.  
"That's fine, but I'm alright with sleeping on the sofa."  
Nicola saw it clearly on his face that he wasn't actually alright, but it was still really nice of him.  
"Or, well, there's another possibility..."  
"And which one would that be?"  
"Well, we already sort of shared the bedroom last night and nothing bad happened, so we could do that again...if you don't mind, that is."  
Ollie looked really surprised. "Oh, I guess I wouldn't mind, but how about you?"  
"It's fine with me. I mean, as long as you'll stay on your side and don't roll over to hug me in your sleep, or something like that..."  
"N-no, of course I won't do that..." It really was funny to see that some comments made him embarrassed really easily, she thought. Best to change the topic, though.  
"By the way, why do you even have a double bed when you're living alone?"  
"Oh, just for the case my boss is coming over on the weekend for a sleepover!" He laughed.  
"Then...what would you do if your boss were a man? Let's say...imagine Malcolm were your direct superior, would you share a bed with him too?"  
"Rather not, I would be scared to death and couldn't sleep a wink. I imagine Malcolm would shout insults at me even in his sleep. If he even does sleep at all, that is."  
"Oh, so apparently your only problem would be Malcolm's supposed sleeping habits, now that's interesting..."  
"W-what do you mean by that?" Ollie looked slightly awkward.  
"Well, it sounded like you were alright with sharing a bed with a man..."  
"No, uh, yes...I mean...!" He really was flustered again. Nicola felt a bit bad for teasing him like that yet again, but it was just too tempting.  
"It's totally fine if it's like that, you know."  
"Of course it would be fine, but I'm...it's not like that! Why does anyone keep bringing that up with me..."  
She laughed. "I'm sorry, Ollie, that was just too good an opportunity to pass it up. I didn't expect you to be so sensitive about this."  
"Many fucking thanks, I'll laugh about it once I find the time..." He almost pouted when he said that, which only made it funnier for Nicola. But she also felt a bit sorry for Ollie, so she stopped teasing him for now.  
"Well, alright, it's too late for squabbling - time for bed." She got up from the sofa. "Are you alright with me using the bathroom now, or do you want to go first?"  
He just waved his hand impatiently. "No, just go ahead..."  
When she was gone, Ollie sighed. "I guess I had it coming, but all that is really annoying..."

A while later: Nicola had gone to bed first and made herself comfortable under the covers. Today she already felt much better than yesterday because she had asked Terri to bring some personal things and spare clothes with her. It was still kind of a weird feeling to cozy up in someone else's bed, but she was tired enough to not really care too much.  
A few minutes later Ollie entered the room, turned off the lights and laid down on his side of the bed.  
"Erm, uh...good night, Ollie...?"  
"Yeah, um...you too."  
"Didn't you forget to take off your glasses just now?"  
"Yes, mum. Thanks, mum." She heard him putting something down on his bedside table.  
"Are you still that shaken up by what I said to you earlier?"  
"No, I'm...oh, right, maybe I am, okay?"  
"Well, I'm sorry then. I really didn't want to offend you. Alright?"  
"...yes. Thank you. Erm...good night, for real now."  
"Yeah, thanks."  
Just now, after they had actually settled down for the night it dawned to both of them how awkward the situation in fact was. Both of them were lying in bed with the backs to each other and pretending to be asleep. Nicola was sort of regretting she ever made that suggestion, but she didn't really want to leave the room and go sleep on the sofa either. Honestly, wouldn't that look really weird, especially after it was her who had the idea of sharing the bedroom? Ollie at the same time pondered too whether he should get up and go to the living room - but then again, this was his flat, so why should he be the one who would have to concede defeat?  
Well, it took them quite a bit of time, but after a while she could hear from his breathing that he had fallen asleep and so she could finally relax too. And with that, their first full day cooped up together in a flat came to an end.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if this chapter is really cute or rather really stupid - please decide for yourself :D But I loved the (deleted) scenes about Nicola's son and the fruit bats from S3 and really wanted to use that for a story. xD

The morning came, yet again there was light filtering into the room and there were probably birds chirping outside on this peaceful new day. Or maybe not, they were right in the middle of London after all.  
Nicola woke up from a pleasant dream, opened her eyes...and saw with a little shock that the inevitable had happened. What was it that Ollie had said yesterday? No, he definitely wouldn't roll over to her side in his sleep? Well, apparently he didn't really know about his own sleeping habits, because he had been totally wrong about that. His face was just inches away from hers and one of his arms was draped across her. 'Oh, Ollie...just what should I do with you?' she thought. 'Wasn't yesterday morning awkward enough?' And she couldn't even get up without waking him up anyway, so she had no choice. "Erm...hello, sleeping beauty? It's morning, so please...," she began to say softly. But instead of waking up, he just shifted his position and moved even closer to her, almost hugging her now.   
"Hey, no...Ollie! Wait!"  
When his nose almost touched hers, he opened his eyes a bit all of a sudden. "Emma? What are you doing here...?"  
Nicola coughed. "Erm, no, I'm afraid I'm not Emma...I'm still Nicola, you know..."  
It took him a moment to process that information and she wondered whether he had fallen asleep again. But then suddenly his eyes flew open and he lurched backwards...just to fall out of the bed and onto the floor. That and the totally dumbfounded look on his face caused Nicola to break out in laughter.  
"W-what?"  
"You really just fell out of bed, I can't believe it!"  
Ollie looked quite indignant, which was pretty comical considering he was still sitting on the floor, just peeking above the bed. "Well, you fucking startled me!"  
"And you tried to hug me, as you might have noticed. So we're even, I think!"  
"That wasn't deliberate! But yeah, fine, whatever you want..."  
He got up from the floor, picked up his glasses and left the room.  
"Nicola? At least spare me the comments about my hair today, alright?"  
She just chuckled.

After the eventful morning they had just finished breakfast and Ollie was finally done with putting the used dishes in the kitchen sink for now. He went into the living room and just attempted to settle down, wondering how they would spend their day, when Nicola's phone started ringing. Her face dropped when she saw who the caller was. "It's my mother...I wonder what she wants. I hope the kids are alright."  
She went to the kitchen to take the call and Ollie stayed in the living room because he really didn't want to get pulled into Nicola's affairs anymore. Better not to find out what she was talking about with her mother. But things rarely work out as one wants them too, and Ollie was about to find this out yet again.  
Nicola stormed back into the living room in just this moment, looking really agitated. "Yes, wait a moment, I need to think about it...I'll call you back in a minute, okay?" She put the phone down and looked at him.  
"Oh, Ollie, it's terrible...can this weekend get any worse?"  
"Of course it can, it got gradually worse since it started and why should it stop now?"  
"Please, I don't need any of your fucking smart-ass comments right now!" Ollie just shrugged and Nicola continued: "My mother just told me that Josh isn't feeling well and wants to see me. They can't calm him down and I just need to go and fetch him..."  
"But, uh, there is still this little issue, you know..."  
"Yes, I know and that's exactly where the problem lies! I can't even go and see my son when he needs me the most...what kind of mother am I even?"  
Ollie apparently had one of his considerate moments, because he spared Nicola some snarky comment and actually seemed to give the matter some thought.  
"Well, since you can't go to him, there's just one other solution, right?"  
"And what would that be? Resigning to the fact that I'm a bad mother?"  
"Yeah, well, let's put that option aside...no, I meant that he would have to come here."  
Nicola couldn't believe what she just heard. Had Ollie really just suggested that...her son could come here, to his flat? And she asked him just that.  
"Ollie...do you mean...?"  
He sighed. "My weekend is ruined anyway, a child couldn't really make matters worse, I guess."  
Well, the way he put it was typical for him, but Nicola really didn't care right now. She was so relieved that she actually couldn't stop herself from running up to Ollie and hugging him.  
"Hey, what...!"  
"I'm so sorry, but just let me say that I could actually kiss you right now. Thank you so much, you don't know what that means to me!"  
"No problem...it's alright." Ollie looked quite flustered again and he even felt himself blush a little. This definitely needed to stop, he told himself. Those embarrassing moments, the hugging and all that. It was almost like he was the main character of a romantic comedy all of a sudden. And that was most definitely not what he aspired to be.

Nicola was back on the phone, pacing up and down the room while talking to her mother. "Yes, like I told you, everything is quite complicated, but you know James, after all. Sometimes I just don't know why I married him in the first place... What? No! Are you even listening to me? I told you, Ollie...Mr Reeder is just someone from my workplace, and..." She gesticulated angrily even though her mother on the other end of the line obviously couldn't see her.  
"Look, we can talk about this later, right? Right now is just not a good occasion. Just tell Dad to bring Josh to the address I gave you, and please also tell him to take care about not drawing any attention. Yes, thank you."  
She ended the call and sat down on the sofa with a sigh.  
"I hope this will work out, I don't want them to harass my son. But I can't do anything but wait for now."  
"Well, they don't know him, so it should be alright. He might just be a kid living in some flat in this building."  
"Yes, you're probably right. It's just...everything went to hell in just a few hours and so I can't help but being pessimistic."  
Ollie reassuringly put his hand on her shoulder. "Just try to calm down, okay? He will be here soon."  
She took a deep breath. "Yeah...I really need to relax a bit more. Maybe by thinking about how matters could be even worse."  
"Uh, no, I don't think that would be helpful..."  
"That was a joke, alright?"

After what felt like an eternity to Nicola, she heard the doorbell going off. "Oh, they're here! Finally...!" And she quickly went to answer the door. In the meantime Ollie stayed in the living room and wondered if he had done the right thing when he offered for Josh to come here. He didn't especially like children after all. But then again, he managed to deal with Phil every time he had visited Emma at their shared flat and could any kid really be worse than Phil? Not really, he thought.  
His thoughts got interrupted when Nicola entered the living room with her five year old son in tow. "Look, Josh, that's the nice man who helped mummy. Say hello to him!"  
He eyed Ollie suspiciously, but didn't say a single word and after a few moments of painful silence Ollie felt like he as the adult had to take the initiative.  
"Hello Josh...uh, nice to meet you! I'm Ollie and I work with your mum! We...we actually talked on the phone before, maybe you remember me?"  
Josh still stared at him, which was pretty unnerving, Ollie thought. But then he finally spoke.  
"Oh, I remember, you are that really boring guy! Mummy, can we go home? I don't want to stay with him..."  
"I'm sorry, love, we can't do that..."  
"But, mummy!"  
Ollie sighed inwardly. That kid was worse than Phil, alright.  
"Josh, it's not nice to call people boring, you know that?"  
"But he is boring! He doesn't know anything about fruit bats!"  
So that's what makes you boring: not knowing stuff about fruit bats? Kids these days, Ollie thought. Until it dawned to him that this was just the kind of thought old people like Glenn would probably have and he shuddered.  
Meanwhile Nicola was still trying to convince her son that they had to stay.  
"Oh, but...he actually does know a lot about fruit bats! Don't you, Ollie?"  
"Uh...do I?"  
"Yes, he does, but...erm...uh...just let me tell you a big secret. You can't tell this to anyone, understood?"  
Josh nodded and looked quite curious and Ollie wondered about his supposed bat knowledge and what kind of secret she was about to tell the kiddo.  
"He's actually a superhero! Uh...fruit-batman! But people mustn't know about that, and so he has to pretend that he doesn't care about fruit bats!"  
Josh's eyes went wide and Ollie couldn't believe his ears. Had Nicola really just invented this somewhat fucking stupid story? And about him, to top it off?  
"Is that...true?" Josh gasped, looking at Ollie with an entirely newfound admiration in his eyes. Nicola looked at Ollie too, but in her eyes he could just read a message along the lines of 'please just go along with it!'. Oh, fuck it all.  
Ollie cleared his throat. "Yes, it is. But like your mummy said, you must not tell anyone. Or else the, uh, forces of evil will, uh, get hold of me - and of the entire world!" He couldn't believe he just said that, but at least Josh - and his mother too - looked pretty happy now.  
"Do you fight against really evil people too?" Josh wanted to know.  
Ollie thought of his daily conflicts with Malcolm. Well, Malcolm wasn't threatening to take over the world like a proper evil overlord would, but he could be really nasty and evil in a sense, especially when talking to him, Ollie. And standing your ground every day when confronted with a really angry, shouting Scotsman was sort of heroic anyway. So Ollie just nodded. "Yes, I do. But I can't tell you anymore about that, or the forces of evil really might endanger everyone who knows about it!" And that was kind of true too, because he could imagine Malcolm's reaction if he would ever find out what Nicola and Ollie had just told the kid.  
At least this explanation was satisfying to Josh and so he proceeded to 'check out a superheroes' hideout'...meaning he snooped around Ollie's entire flat. Which wasn't really a thrilling prospect, but that way he wouldn't have to deal with the kid for the moment and that honestly sounded like heaven.  
Ollie got up and walked a few steps through the living room until he stopped and made a serious face. "Nicola, I want a payrise."  
She looked at him in surprise. "What? Why are you bringing this up now?"  
"Well, since I'm apparently a superhero who saves the world all the time it just isn't fair that I only get paid for being a policy adviser, don't you agree?"  
Nicola sighed. "That's so like you, I guess something like that would really be your first concern... Saving the world should be done for free if you're a superhero... But really, I'm so sorry about everything. I just didn't know how else I could persuade him that we have to stay here."  
"Yeah, well, I guess I shouldn't complain, it's not like you get called a superhero every day. Really, couldn't you have thought of a less fucking stupid story?"  
"No! Look, Ollie...he can be kind of a difficult child sometimes and I just had to think of something quickly to calm him down. And he just really likes superheroes and fruit bats, so I just..."  
He still looked pretty irritated, but in the end he had to give in. "Fine, fine. Just...don't tell a word of this to anyone! They would make fun of me forever and I'm not gonna have that."  
In that moment Josh came running into the living room again, just to grab Ollie's hand and trying to pull him out of the room behind him.  
"Could you show me your hideout? Please? That would be more fun...uh, fruit-batman?"  
Ollie sighed. "Please, just call me...um, I mean, I need to maintain my secret identity, so just call me Ollie, okay?"  
Josh looked at him with big eyes and nodded, probably thinking about what a big honour that was. But he continued to tug on Ollie's arm and so Ollie had to choice but to follow him. He looked at Nicola and she just gave him an apologetic look. Well, that wasn't really much of a help...


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note to self: never write a story with a child in it again, because I noticed that I really can't write dialogues for children, haha. And this chapter is also pretty boring, but I just had to bring the weekend to an end after all!

On that day, Ollie decided that he would rather not want own children any time soon. Not that starting a family had been a priority of his before this fateful weekend anyway, but imagining having to deal with a child 24 hours a day was just too much for him. Josh had warmed up to him pretty quickly after his initial reservation and therefore he had started to pester Ollie the entire time. And that was going on since a few hours already.  
"Ollie, Ollie! I wanna fly again!" Josh demanded just now.  
"Oh no, please, not that again..."  
"Come on! Pleeeease!"  
He sighed, picked the kid up and hold him up above his head. Josh squeaked with pleasure, but Ollie was starting to get annoyed after having to do the same thing for probably a thousand times since the kid had arrived at his flat.  
"My arms are really starting to get tired... And where the fuck is your mother?" Ollie complained, which made Josh promptly point out: "You said a bad word, I'm gonna tell mummy!"  
"Alright with me, if that means you'll actually go to your mummy right now and stop doing my head in..."  
He put Josh down and the kid ran out of the room to look for Nicola.  
Ollie plopped down on the sofa, totally exhausted. "I'm so fucking stupid, shouldn't have ever agreed to let this child in here..."  
He heard Josh's chattering and the kid entered the room again, with Nicola in tow. "Nicola, please, I played with him for the last few hours, I need a break...." Ollie pleaded.  
"Oh, alright...but I have no idea what I should do with him either."  
"Let him draw something or watch TV, for whatever I care..."  
"Fine....Josh, do you want to draw a picture?" Nicola asked her son.  
"Yeah! I'll draw a fruit bat for Ollie! Do you have paper and pencils, mummy?"  
"Oh, that might be a problem...Ollie?"  
He sighed and made a vague, tired gesture with one hand. "There should be some pencils on my desk in the bedroom, he can also sit there while he's drawing...and just take some paper out of the printer."  
Nicola escorted Josh to the bedroom. When she came back after a while, she sat down next to Ollie. "I'm so sorry."  
"Oh well, don't apologize, I agreed to this torture after all..."  
"Hey! I understand that you're tired, but please don't call my son 'torture' alright?"  
"Yeah, sorry...oh, by the way, do you mind if I turn on the TV?"  
"No I don't, go ahead."  
Ollie fished for the remote and pushed the power button. "Oh, Doctor Who is on again...?"  
Nicola laughed. "Why don't we watch that? The kids love watching Doctor Who, so I know a little bit about it too."  
"Really? You do?" Now that was just great - that meant he could have watched the episodes on yesterday evening's marathon. Being considerate does not pay off after all, he thought. He would learn from that experience.  
"Yeah! I always thought the Doctor looks a lot like Malcolm, that's why I sometimes watched a few minutes together with the kids."  
"Malcolm? Oh, now that you say it! So that's who I always thought of!"  
"Maybe he's leading a double life and he's also an actor!" joked Nicola.  
At that point Josh came running into the living room yet again. Apparently he was very fast at drawing, because he proudly presented his finished work to Ollie...until he noticed what was on the TV.  
"Oooh! I wanna watch Doctor Who! Can I? Please?"  
"Alright...come, sit down here!" Nicola was patting on the sofa between her and Ollie and Josh quickly made himself comfortable.

Later, when the episode was over, it was time to prepare dinner. Today's cooking went much better than yesterday's failed attempts and so they had managed to whip up fish and chips.  
The three of them were sitting on the kitchen table and eating when Josh randomly said: "Today was much more fun than it's at home, mummy! Can we always spend the weekends here?"  
Ollie made a face which basically said something like 'fucking hell, not in a million years' (or at least Nicola interpreted it as such) and Nicola tried to awkwardly explain to her son why that just wouldn't be possible.  
"No, I'm sorry, we can't do that, love. See, your dad would be sad if we were away every weekend and..."  
Josh's face dropped and Nicola looked at Ollie, urging him to present some arguments too. He groaned. More superhero story shit, just wonderful. "Er....I usually have to save the world on weekends, or something like that...," he said quite listlessly, which made Nicola kick his leg under the table.  
"Ow! Uh, yes, that's really how it is! I was off this weekend, but that was a big exception. I'm sorry, little guy, but that's just how it is."  
Having heard the explanation from his new hero, Josh reluctantly accepted the fact that this weekend would have to stay a one-time opportunity.

After dinner it was already time for Josh to go to bed. Nicola and Ollie decided that he would sleep in the middle of the double bed in the bedroom - that way it was also assured that Ollie wouldn't try to hug Nicola again.  
"Hey, I told you, that was an accident!"  
"Accidental or not, I don't want another hug from you!"  
"You're breaking my heart yet again, Nicola! How can you say that you don't want a hug from a handsome guy like me?"  
"Oh, just stop fooling around, Ollie...what will Josh think if he hears you?" She laughed.  
The kid in question was currently jumping around on Ollie's bed and so Nicola got up to finally tuck him in.  
When she came back the both of them watched some more TV, but as they were quite tired - especially Ollie - and tomorrow would be another stressful day at work, they went to bed pretty early. Both slipped under the covers quietly so they wouldn't wake Josh and then they fell asleep quickly. And that meant: the long weekend together was finally over.

Ollie woke up in the middle of the night. A look at the alarm clock next to the bed showed him that the time was 4 am. He turned around and wanted to get back to sleep when he suddenly noticed that Josh wasn't lying between him and Nicola anymore. Where was the kid? Nicola was fast asleep and so Ollie grudgingly decided to get up and look for Josh. "Well, I could need some water anyway...," he mumbled to himself while he shuffled to the kitchen. When he entered the room he noticed that the door of the fridge was open - and then he saw Josh, who was rummaging around the contents.  
"Hey, what are you doing, kiddo? You should be asleep, you know!"  
Josh looked pretty surprised and a bit guilty. "I woke up and I'm thirsty...and, um..."  
"I see, but you wouldn't need to raid my fridge to find something to drink, hm?"  
"Noooo, but...I want some chocolate too!"  
Ollie steered Josh away from the fridge and closed the door.  
"I'm sorry to say there isn't any in the fridge. And even if there were some, your mummy would get angry if I gave it to you, so..."  
Josh looked disappointed. "Would you tell mummy?"  
"Yes, I would. She is my boss after all and that's why I would need to tell her, you know."  
"But you're a hero, so how can mummy be your boss?"  
This conversation was beginning to give him a headache. Ollie thought about how he would have to get up and go to the office in roughly two hours, and yet he was sitting here in his kitchen, chatting with a five year old. Really weird. Really, really weird.  
"Well, um...see, that's just how important your mummy is. She can give orders even to someone like me and that's why you need to listen to her too, okay?" Josh nodded eagerly and Ollie thought he might just issue an invoice to Nicola for the parenting services he had to do on this weekend.  
"Okay, little guy, just get something to drink and then off to bed. I'm back in a minute." Ollie left the kitchen for a short trip to the bathroom and when he came back he found Josh sitting at the table, fast asleep. He sighed and carried the kid back to bed. 'I sure hope I can get some more sleep before the alarm clock goes off, this weekend was so exhausting...,' were his last thoughts before he dropped off again.


	7. Chapter 7

The morning came way too soon with the shrill beeping of the alarm clock. Ollie turned it off with a sigh. He was still pretty tired, but he obviously had to get up anyway. Next to him Josh and Nicola were also beginning to stir. "Morning, Ollie!" Josh was shouting happily. Damn, why are kids already so annoyingly chipper at this time of the morning? "Morning...," Ollie mumbled and quickly got up from the bed. "Nicola...I'll go first, alright? I won't take long in the bathroom."  
"Yes, fine..." She rubbed her eyes, trying to get awake for real, while Josh was already jumping out of the bed and excitedly running around.

Half an hour later both Nicola and Ollie were done in the bathroom. Josh insisted on being really hungry, so Nicola quickly had to prepare a sandwich for him. Ollie entered the room while tying his tie. "What are we gonna do with the kiddo? You don't want to take him with you to work, or do you?"  
Nicola shook her head. "No, I called a cab. We'll take a detour and drop off Josh at my parents' house again and then we'll go straight into work. You'll come with us, won't you? Or will you take the Underground like usual?"  
Josh ran over to Ollie and clung to his arm. "Come with us, please!"  
He had to decide quickly between the crowded Underground and a cab ride with a sometimes annoying child. Well, no hard choice, he had to take the trains on every other normal day after all. He winked at Josh. "I can't really say no to a plea like that, can I? What kind of hero would I be?"  
"Yaaaay!"

When they left the building and went to the cab, they didn't even think much about the reporters anymore. They would have surely given up by now.   
...or so they thought. Just after taking a few steps they saw a man with a camera pop up behind the shrubbery in front of the building. Click, click, click...!  
"...fuck!"  
Nicola grabbed Josh, they made a beeline for the cab and quickly got inside.  
"I can't believe it, they really were still there..." But she breathed a sigh of relief about having escaped the reporters when the cab drove off.  
Ollie shifted uncomfortably in the car seat. "Uh, Nicola...did you see that one guy next to the dustbins...?"  
"No, I didn't have the time to take a closer look at every single one of them. Why are you asking?"  
"I hate to break it to you, but...I clearly saw that he had a TV camera."  
Nicola was thunderstruck. "He had what? Please, not that too!"  
"I fear yes. If I saw that right, we're so gonna be on the morning news."  
"Wonderful, just wonderful! Malcolm is gonna kill us!"  
Josh looked back and forth between his mother and Ollie. "What's up, mummy?"  
"Oh, it's nothing, really, don't worry..."  
But since Nicola looked quite distraught it was obviously that there was a reason to worry - even a child would notice that.  
"Is there a bad guy at your work? Don't worry, you've got Ollie with you! He'll defeat him in no time!"  
"Well, yeah, you're right. Thanks..."

After dropping off Josh at the house of Nicola's parents - he really didn't wanted to be seperated from Ollie, which made things a bit difficult - it was only a quite short ride to the office.   
Ollie leaned back in the car seat. "Phew, finally some calm and silence! But it's just the calm before the storm, really."  
Nicola looked out of the window, lost in thoughts, until she suddenly asked: "Say, Ollie...your hero status really grew on you, huh?"  
"What? Why?"  
"Well, you complained about it at first, but then you really seemed to get into it. Josh really loves you for that."  
"No, it's just...I had to play along, okay? That's also what you wanted me to do."  
"Yes, alright...well, then: I want you to play along for a bit longer. Okay?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, you heard Josh, I've got you with me and you will defeat the bad guy. So I expect you to do just that! I can't wait for the epic battle between fruit-batman and, uh...some what's-his-name evil guy from the Batman films."  
"The Penguin?" Ollie suggested.  
"The Penguin? Really? Doesn't sound very evil, but fine: your fight versus Malcolm the Penguin. That'll be definitely epic."  
"Nicola...I can tell you're really nervous. You usually start talking pretty irrational stuff then."  
"Well, I've got every reason to be nervous. Oh, were here already..."

When they finally arrived at DoSAC, their ordeal wasn't over yet. Far from it, in fact. Right when he saw them come up the stairs, Malcolm rushed up to them. The look on his face was enough for them to know that there was a huge bollocking incoming.  
"Oh, fucking nice, our new TV stars are here! Can I get an autograph? I just saw you on the news, you bunch of stupid fuckers!"  
Ollie raised his hands in a futile gesture and tried to explain: "Morning, Malcolm...yes, we know they filmed us, we saw the camera guy and sadly we couldn't avoid him. I expected the reporter wankers to be gone by now, honestly..."  
That wasn't a satisfying explanation for Malcolm though, as he immediately started railing at them. "You fucking stupid morons! First off, how could you even think of leaving the house together, let alone taking the same cab to get here? That's like walking around with a huge fucking sign on your neck which says 'Look at us, we're having an affair!' I can't believe this! And you even took some kid with you! Were you trying to look like a happy fucking family, taking a trip to bloody Disneyland?"  
Ollie chimed in. "Well, besides the fact they did unexpectedly still lurk around my house, I think it would have actually looked even worse if one of us sneaked out first...we don't have anything to hide because there, well, isn't anything to hide, so why would we sneak around like we're having a guilty conscience?"  
Malcolm snapped at him: "If that's what happens when you start using your fucking brain, then you should stop!"  
At this point Nicola had enough and finally lost her composure. "And you should stop too, Malcolm! First off, you don't get to talk about my son like that! And second, may I remind you that you didn't give Ollie any meaningful advice when he called you? Third, why don't YOU think of a solution if you're so fucking clever and we're so fucking stupid?"  
Malcolm threw his hands in the air in an exaggerated gesture. "Wonderful, so you are making a mess and I have to sort it out? Halle-fucking-luja, now that's a great start into the working week!"  
"That's sort of...your job though...," Ollie tossed in weakly.  
"Well, you know what we're gonna do then? We should leak to the press that you're actually married to each other and your kids are actually Ollie's kids. 'Keeping Up with the Reeders', what? The next reality TV smash hit! And that way, everything will be totally fucking fine!"  
"Well, technically you can't leak that since it's not true... I'm also not old enough to be the father of Nicola's older children, so..." Ollie was apparently at the end of his wits, much to Nicola's annoyance.  
"Ollie, do you really think that's the issue here?"  
"No, but..."  
"Oh, please don't say anything anymore. Now, Malcolm, I'm listening: what are we really gonna do?" By now Nicola was definitely too annoyed to care and she wasn't about to take any more shit from Malcolm. He had to grudgingly admire her approach to the problem.  
"Well, these so-called shit journalists are definitely having a fucking field day! 'Hot affair between not-so-young minister and her young advisor' sounds like something straight out of the synopsis of a porn film. So the best bet to get your story out of the media would be another, bigger story to divert their attention away from you."  
"That sounds about right! Well then, Malcolm, time to get to work!"  
"And what are you gonna do? You're gonna sit on your hands and go on with what the fuck you're doing every day?"  
"But of course we are! Like you said, we are way too stupid and would only interfere with your genius anyway, so I'm going to leave you to your own devices. Ollie, you're coming with me, I need you in my office."  
With that Nicola walked out on Malcolm. Ollie followed her, looking clearly uncomfortable and glancing at Malcolm, who was speechless for once. Nicola talking back to him like that was an unusual situation. But she was right after all and that wasn't the right time for pettiness, so he decided to just start to get the job done.


	8. Chapter 8

Nicola and Ollie had just entered her office and he was about to sit down in front of her desk when Glenn came in, waving a newspaper around. "Look at that, loverboy! There's a pretty photo of you in the paper! Really nice, but what are all those bags you're carrying? Anyway, the headline is also nice: 'This is the young office casanova: Oliver Reeder usually works as a special advisor to the Secretary of State, but now he is probably getting some advice himself - lessons in love from an experienced woman....' Oooh, juicy!"  
Ollie made a pained face. "You totally just made that shit up!"  
Glenn tossed him the paper. "Read for yourself!"  
Ollie did as he was told, but he could only read a few lines before angrily throwing the paper on the desk. "Oh...this is a fucking nightmare!"  
Yes, and the nightmare wasn't over yet, as Glenn had another paper with him, which he was looking at just now.  
"And here's another one. Well, that's less flattering. You look like a deer in a car's headlight on this photo. Shall I call you Bambi from now on?"  
"Yeah, no...and now I really wish the car would've hit me. Look, could you just bother someone else or, you know, get some work done?"  
"Well, thanks to you, 'casanova', our works today consists mostly of taking calls from the press. If that's the alternative I'd rather bother you."  
Nicola sighed. "Glenn, really, I have to agree with Ollie here. Please do something useful, I can't stand your squabbling, especially not today."  
"Oh, fine. I might tell the reporters that our two lovebirds wanted to be alone though..."  
"Fuck off Glenn, and get out." Ollie gave him a push.  
"Alright. Well, have fun!"  
"Yeah, now fuck off for real, annoying old twat...!"  
"I heard that!"

A few minutes later Ollie and Nicola were still sitting in her office and thinking about what to do next.  
"We really have to trust Malcolm on this matter, do we? Other than that, we can only wait and see."  
"Yeah, I think you're right. It kind of pains me to say that, but I have no idea about what else we could do."  
Just then Nicola paused and listened. "Wait a moment, I think my husband is here? I heard his voice. Great, now that's all we needed."  
She went outside to check and Ollie heard her and a male voice arguing in front of the room.  
"James, really, stop that!"  
"I'm not talking to you right now, I'm here to have a word with your cute little toyboy!"  
"He isn't my toyboy...James!"  
But he ignored her, slammed the office door shut and locked it from the inside. Well, this was definitely enough to make Ollie pretty nervous. Then suddenly James grabbed his arm with so much force that he could barely suppress a yelp of pain.  
"I couldn't believe it when I saw the story in the papers and on the news! My wife...and you! You're not even a real man, but a kid!"  
"Well, it's not true!"  
"I really hope you're telling the truth, or else I might get really angry and you won't like that, you kiddie-faced little fucker!"  
Ollie squirmed. "N-no, of course I'm telling the truth! I just helped her because she's my superior, alright?"  
"But why did she go straight to your home, care to tell me that?"  
"She saw my adress in my employee file...really! There's nothing else to it!"  
He finally let go of Ollie's arm. About time, it was starting to hurt like hell.  
"I have to admit that you don't look like you've got the guts for an affair with someone else's wife." Well, that definitely wasn't a compliment, but Ollie wasn't about to complain about that right now.  
"But...! And listen well, because I'm only saying this once: if I find out there was anything between my wife and you, you'll want to hide really good! Because then I'll find you and when I'm done with you, you will cry like a little girl. Understood, you fucking twat?"  
Ollie gulped and nodded. With a last disparaging look and a snort James finally left him alone.  
He heard Nicola and her husband arguing shortly outside the office, then it seemed like James had left. Nicola entered the room. "Oh, good, you're alright. I was seriously anxious about what he might do to you..."  
Ollie sat down on the corner of the desk. "I'm anything but alright. That was scarier than a bollocking from Malcolm! What the fuck was that and why did you marry that guy? He's...well, I'd rather not say anything."  
She sighed. "Oh, don't ask me, I often wonder about that too. Did he hurt you?"  
Ollie grimaced. "He almost ripped my arm off and it fucking hurts, but at least that's all. It's mostly my ego which got hurt really badly."  
"Yeah?"  
"He mostly insulted me...he said that I'm just a kid. Which seems to be a common thing between you, because I remember you calling me a giggling teenager just recently."  
"Oh, come on, Ollie...are you really still carrying a grudge about that?"  
"Yes, and I will do so forever...! Well, anyway, are there other relatives of you expected to come here and yell at me? Or else I would actually need to get some work done."  
"Oh, don't let anything stop you. I'll just call you if someone else might want to beat you up."  
"Many thanks..."

After finally giving Terri the money for Saturday's grocery delivery (he would definitely ask Nicola for half of the amount he had to pay Terri...had he ever paid this much for groceries in his entire life?) Ollie was finally about to sit down at his desk when his phone started ringing. To his surprise he saw it was Emma who was calling him. He seriously wondered what she could want from him. Well, she would have probably watched the news or read a paper by now. He picked up the call.  
"Emma? What's up?"  
"Well, I just read the newspaper and there was one really interesting article. I guess you know which one I'm referring to, huh?"  
Ollie frowned. "Are you talking about the one about the announcement of the new education departments' policy? Yeah, that one is really interesting. ... Of course I know what you're referring to, but why the fuck are you calling me? Couldn't bring yourself to delete my number from your phone after all, what?"  
"Oh, just stop talking shit, you self-absorbed douchebag. Well anyway, you're really shagging your way to the top now, aren't you? But I really have to question your judgment - do you really think she's gonna be PM one day? Because anything below that would be obviously a letdown for someone with your unbelievable great skills, isn't it? And I'm not talking about your world-beating love-making skills here, to be clear." sneered Emma.  
"Oh, just fuck off! There is no affair between me and Nicola, get it? But to your information, you posh little shit: yeah, I would rather have a fling with Nicola than ever getting back with you! At least she's not as childish as you are!"  
"And I wouldn't take you back anyway, you fucking prick! Have fun with your new girlfriend who is old enough to be your mother then!"  
"She isn't old enough to..." But she had already terminated the call.  
Ollie angrily threw his phone on the table.  
"Today's the most fucking horrible day ever..."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter, woo! And the beginning of that chapter is one of my favourite part of the entire story :D But I'm also kinda sad it's over now. I just started writing this story because I thought it was a funny idea, but in the end I almost started shipping Nicola and Ollie for real. xD I actually wonder how the events in series 4 would have played out if this 'affair' would have really happened earlier...

They were standing close to each other on the roof of the DoSAC building, with a million stars shimmering in the sky over them. Both of them looked out at the lights of this never-sleeping city, knowing in their hearts that their feelings were just the same.  
"Ollie...," Nicola started, but then she hesitated and she felt her face flush.  
Ollie turned to gaze at her. He looked at her with so much passion and love in his eyes, she thought. And then he raised his hand and traced the lines of her face with his fingers.  
"Shhh...I know what you want to say," he whispered into her ear while he continued to caress her features.  
"I feel the same, and you know that..."  
She jolted, a mixture of uncertainty and happiness showing on her face.  
"But Ollie...I can't! We can't...there is still my husband...and the kids..."  
"We will sort that out...and don't you think I will be a good daddy for your...no, our kids? I will love them just as much as the children we will have together in the future." he said softly, but in a reassuring tone.  
"Oh, Ollie....I don't know what to say...!"  
He pulled her into a passionate embrace. "Then don't say anything. Just let me tell you that you are the most important part of my life...I love you!" And he bent down and gave her a long kiss, which she hungrily reciprocated...

"Fuck off, stop that already!" To stop him from reading out loudly, Ollie snatched the papers Glenn was holding from his hand and threw them into the waste basket with some fervor.  
Glenn looked at him with pretended indignation. "I think it's really good! And basing it on something that really happened gives it a certain sense of realism. I also have a copy saved on my computer, so don't worry."  
"Only that this did not happen at all! And you know that very well! I can't believe you did write up that fucking drivel just to make fun of me, Glenn! You really need a hobby, you damned old bore."  
"Oh, I have a hobby, thank you very much! In fact, I only discovered it recently. It's writing a book about the romantic adventures of a dashing young hero who breaks the hearts of his co-workers left and right..."  
"Well, then I'm gonna break your heart too by telling you that you definitely got no literary talent at all."  
"Thanks, that's an idea for the next chapter. Now you, er, no...I obviously mean the hero of my book, breaks the hearts of men too. A true champion of love in our modern world.  
"Just...fuck off. Really."

Just then Malcolm showed that he apparently had magical powers after all, because he already reappeared in the office. He couldn't have sorted everything out in such a short amount of time, or could he?  
"What's up, twats? Did I miss some exciting new development in the Reeder-Murray family saga?" he asked.  
"You did in fact miss some excitement, Malcolm. Nicola's husband was here and attempted to beat me up."  
Malcolm made a disappointed face. "Oh, now that's a shame. I would have really liked to see that. Must have been the fight of the century and I would have loved to be the referee."  
"I guess you would...but enough from that, you wanted to tell us something?"  
"Let's go into your lover's office, I won't tell you the whole thing twice."  
Malcolm and Ollie entered Nicola's office. She looked up from the desk work she was doing with some surprise.  
"You're back already, Malcolm? So you had no idea either, or am I wrong?"  
"On the contrary. You get to choose your favourite scandal. Really lucky, huh?"  
"What do you mean?"  
Malcolm grabbed a chair and sat down while Ollie remained standing. "Well, I pulled some strings and dug up some dirt. Sometimes it really is useful to know some things about each minister. Alright, so what's it gonna be: do you want boring old tax evasion - although on a pretty big scale - or some more juicy stuff involving visits of a happily married Secretary of State to various prostitutes. Female and male ones, that is..."  
Nicola shuddered. "Malcolm, you're downright scary. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of one of your smear campaigns."  
"Hey, don't discredit my work like that. It's not a smear campaign if everything is entirely true. There are some nasty fuckers in every group of people anyway."  
"Right...well, which one would you recommend? I honestly wouldn't want to make that decision..."  
"Oh, come on, don't be such a chicken! Take some responsibility, would you? Well, I would go for our adulterer friend. He was becoming a liability for the party anyway."  
"Alright, fine then. But...who is it? I don't even know that... Oh, but wait, actually I don't want to know. Just...do your thing, Malcolm."  
"Consider it done! But let me tell you something, and I'm talking to both of you now. You really dodged the bullet this time, but...next time you're doing something as fucking stupid as this, it's entirely possible that there might be no one to take the blame for you. Then you might be considered the bigger liability and you'll be offed. Well, anyway, I'm off, have a nice day!" And with that he left the office.  
Nicola leaned back in her chair. "Damn it, that was scary..."  
Ollie puffed up his cheeks, shook his head and looked really intimidated. "It most definitely was. The only thing that's more scary that shouting Malcolm is actually...a Malcolm who isn't shouting, huh..."  
"Do you think things will be alright now?" asked Nicola.  
"I'm sure they will. And the poor fucker who'll get the flak from the media won't even know why the catastrophe descended upon him. Really, really scary. But well, at least we're fine."  
"I'd like to call you selfish for putting it like that, but my thoughts are exactly the same, if I'm honest."

Well, long story short: of course Malcolm's plan worked perfectly. On the next day everyone - be it in the papers or on the TV news - was talking about leaked informations about a certain government official...and Nicola and Ollie had disappeared from the news entirely, much to their delight. 

Later that day Nicola and Ollie were sitting on the sofa in the break room, reminiscing about the events of the last few days.  
"Well, now it's over."  
"Yeah, it is."  
"You know what, Ollie?"  
He smiled slightly. "I can't read minds, so no."  
Nicola was fidgeting around a bit and searching for the right words.  
"Okay, well...to be honest, I always thought of you as a morally bankrupt person and a real prick, but this weekend made me realize that there's more to you than meets the eye."  
"Hear, hear! I could have told you that too without you visiting me for an entire weekend!" He laughed.  
"Stop that, or I might have to drop my newfound respect for you again!" But Nicola was joking too, after all.  
"Well, I'm definitely not looking for an affair, but that weekend we spent together... I don't know how to put it in words. But...even though everything was quite the ordeal, it was sort of fun too. And I probably really, really shouldn't be saying this, but... After seeing another side of you I could actually imagine...well, having a relationship with you. I honestly always wondered what women saw in you before."  
Ollie made a dramatic pose. "But alas, it won't happen, would it? You have your husband and the kids, but in case that doesn't matter to you: I'm totally free, as you know." He grinned and she knew he was joking. He wasn't about to take this seriously...just like she had expected.  
"Well, but..."  
He stood up, turned away from her and put his hands in his pockets in an attempt to look relaxed.  
"...I could actually say the same to you. Realistically speaking it's not like it would work out, we're too different for that, but...I think the weekend wasn't even half bad, really. Not even the part with your kid, even though he annoyed me quite a bit."  
And after a moment he added: "Oh fuck, please don't tell anyone about this conversation. This is too embarrassing... Especially since Glenn made up that fucking romance novel story about us."  
Nicola smiled. "Don't worry, I won't. And we will go back to normal tomorrow, but really...thank you, Ollie. For everything you did for me...and for the special time we shared. ... Oh, wait, that sounded like straight from a romance novel too, didn't it?"  
Ollie laughed. "It did, but I get what you mean. And you're welcome. Well, anyway, time to get back to business, huh?"  
"You're right. The work is just piling up, as usual. And I had enough of Malcolm's shouting for a while, so we need to do good work. Well, let's go!"  
The two of them made their way back to the office. As they were walking besides each other Ollie suddenly laughed. "Well, besides from Glenn's trash novel attempt, the events of the last few days would really make a good story, don't you think so too?"  
"You're probably right, but I'm actually really glad that no one knows about what happened at your flat."  
"Ah well, that's true. But still, it would be funny, wouldn't it?"  
Nicola had to agree with him here. "Well, I can't deny that!"


End file.
